Health

Health and healthcare are at the forefront of disability rights issues. In these pieces, you’ll find insights on topics ranging from insurance and the need for systemic change within medical institutions, to the importance of self-care for your physical and mental well-being.

Ask to Vax!

COVID-19 Vaccines for Youth with Disabilities #AskToVax

DREDF, YO! Disabled & Proud, and Rooted in Rights have joined together to help disabled California Youth learn more about COVID-19 vaccines for children aged five and up. Children and youth with underlying

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Stressed brown-skinned teacher with long, straight, dark hair in a colorful classroom, sitting at the toy table.

Removing the Stigma of Alcoholism in the Teaching Profession

CONTENT NOTE: detailed discussion of substance abuse and trauma . . . . . . . . . . . I began drinking heavily during college when I took a semester off, moving from Boston back to Baltimore to…

Two younger, dark-haired people with long hair - one brown-skinned, the other fairer skinned - in a living room. The fairer skinned person, wearing blue scrubs and a stethoscope around their neck, is standing beside the couch where the other person is seated. They're both smiling at the camera as the standing person passes a wooden tray with a white bowl of food and a glass of orange juice to the seated person.

A List of Demands: A Living Wage for Home Care Aids Supports Disabled People

I am angry—angry that Fair Pay for Home Care was not fully funded in New York’s budget in January 2022. And angry that the small pay increase that was approved won’t solve New York’s severe shortage of home care workers. …

Living (and Leaving) Diagnostic Labels

When I was 20 months old, I was diagnosed with what was then known as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA). Recently, though, the terminology has changed to Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), reflecting the often ambiguous origins and trajectory of the illness.…

A pattern of of illustrated speech bubbles that have different emoji indicating harassment.

The Harms of Perpetuating “Illness Fakers”

I had not long been a part of the online chronic illness community when I discovered the Illness Fakers page on Reddit. I only saw it because someone I followed was being harassed, and their content being taken apart on…

An elevator next to a staircase inside an apartment building.

Accessible Housing is Healthcare. It Could Have Prevented My Hospital Readmission.

When my friend’s car pulled up to the front door of the hospital, I wanted to feel giddy with relief that I was finally heading home. Instead, my head spun with fatigue and vertigo. My body felt weak and my…

A young white woman with short hair, standing against a wall. In front of her face, she is holding a picture from when she was 8 years old, sitting in a wheelchair, smiling.

Cerebral Palsy Isn’t Just a Childhood Disability. That’s Why Adults with Cerebral Palsy Need Access to Healthcare, Too.

Being a disabled kid is hard. I think that’s something everyone knows, including abled people. But even when you’re a disabled kid, you don’t get prepared for the world of being a disabled adult. Over the past year, I’ve found…

A word cloud of long COVID symptoms in the shape of a face mask.

Is Long COVID Leading to a Tipping Point in Attitudes Toward Chronic Illness?

Could long COVID spell the end of medical gaslighting? Let’s hope so. When Kathy Flaherty, a 53-year-old attorney and nonprofit executive director, got COVID-19 in March 2020, her friends said, “see you in two weeks.” Two weeks came and went,…

A montage of people of different races against a rainbow of colorful squares, all wearing face masks.

We Can’t Let Our Guard (Or Our Masks) Down

Recently, I overheard my father telling my husband about how he had quit his gym membership because they were requiring people to wear a mask during workouts. His list of reasons as to why this was uncomfortable for him was…